The Sulur horror story of child sexual assault and murder

On May 22, 2026 evening, determination was antithetic enactment connected the banks of the Kannampalayam vessel successful Sulur, a bustling suburb successful Coimbatore district. Police unit had swarmed the bluish bund of the serene tank, a remnant of the Noyyal stream strategy erstwhile favoured by birders of Coimbatore.

A thicket successful a backstage onshore abutting the bund was cordoned disconnected and introduction to the bund was barred. Residents soon learned the crushed — the constabulary had located the assemblage of a miss reported missing from adjacent Pallapalayam.

Arterial roadworthy blocked

As hunt operations for the 10-year-old girl, who went missing connected the evening of May 21, came to an end, connection soon dispersed that she had been sexually assaulted. Neighbours and residents of Pallapalayam, who had been frantically searching for her for astir a day, soon occupied the arterial Tiruchi Road successful beforehand of the Sulur constabulary presumption successful protest, bringing postulation to a standstill from 9 p.m. Vehicles were diverted done alternate routes with the assemblage swelling with time.

The residents and members of the public, and adjacent societal media influencers attached to definite governmental outfits, raised slogans seeking “justice for the slain girl” and the apprehension of the perpetrators. Some persons adjacent to the household accused the constabulary of having fixed them a mendacious committedness earlier successful the time that the miss was safe. Some from the irate assemblage demanded that the constabulary manus implicit the culprits to them to service “instant justice”.

Incidentally, Allatipalli Pavan Kumar Reddy had assumed bureau arsenic the Coimbatore district’s Superintendent of Police lone hours earlier the girl’s assemblage was found. Hence, elder officers, including Inspector-General of Police (West Zone) R.V. Ramya Bharathi and Deputy IGP (Coimbatore Range) P. Saminathan, stepped successful to negociate the situation.

Though the constabulary issued an authoritative connection to the media successful the aboriginal hours of May 23 that 2 men from Pallapalayam — K. Karthi and R. Mohan — were successful their custody for suspected engagement successful the crime, the assemblage refused to disperse. Ms. Bharathi sat connected the roadworthy and held talks with the protesting household members and others, who vacated the spot astir 5 a.m. By morning, the photos of Karthi, 35, and Mohan, 31, began circulating connected societal media.

Accused portion of the hunt party

Karthi, who had been portion of the hunt party, turned retired to beryllium the premier accused aft surveillance camera visuals showed him taking the miss connected a two-wheeler connected the precise evening she went missing. Police investigations revealed that Karthi, a loader by occupation, was known to the household of the deceased arsenic helium lived successful the aforesaid neighbourhood.

His person and accomplice Mohan, who had been residing with his sister successful the aforesaid area, besides knew the girl’s family.

The constabulary said Karthi went to the girl’s location astir 5 p.m. connected May 21 and lured her retired connected the committedness of buying her chocolates. He took her connected his motorcycle to the Kannampalayam tank, wherever helium subjected her to intersexual battle successful a secluded country abutting the bund. He murdered the miss thereafter and returned to the neighbourhood, wherever helium joined the hunt for the miss aft her begetter returned from enactment astir 7 p.m.

Ms. Bharathi told journalists that the constabulary responded swiftly aft getting a ailment astir 8.30 p.m. connected May 21. The Sulur constabulary registered a lawsuit for the missing miss astir 10 p.m.; they formed 5 peculiar teams nether Deputy Superintendent of Police Karikal Pari Shankar to hint the girl. The constabulary examined the visuals of astir 250 cameras to zero successful connected the abductor.

Police sources said Karthi travelled astir 2.5 km to the transgression country aft picking up the unfortunate from her location connected the two-wheeler. He was yet recovered hiding connected the archetypal level of an flat astatine Kannampalayam connected May 22. According to the police, erstwhile cornered, helium jumped disconnected the gathering and suffered fractures to his close limb and close leg. During his questioning, the constabulary besides learnt of the engagement of Karthi’s person and accomplice Mohan, a painter.

The accused were arrested nether the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act connected the charges of abduction, intersexual assault, execution and different offences.

Autopsy confirmed intersexual assault

Though intersexual battle was suspected from the beginning, the constabulary acted diligently and informed the media lone aft archetypal findings of the post-mortem confirmed it. Sources privy to the probe said that initially, Mohan diverted the attraction of the constabulary by stating that helium had seen the miss on with a alien connected a scooter connected the evening of May 21. The constabulary said helium decidedly had cognition of the crime, astir which helium was tight-lipped, but his relation successful the transgression would person to beryllium investigated.

Investigations revealed that the girl’s household had shifted to a rented location successful the neighbourhood astatine Pallapalayam astir a period earlier the crime. The household had earlier been residing adjacent Podanur. According to a comparative of the girl, the household moved to Pallapalayam arsenic it is person to the workplace of the girl’s father.

“The household planned to get admittance successful a schoolhouse successful the locality for the coming world year,” a neighbour said.

The lawsuit besides saw twists and turns arsenic videos began circulating connected societal media of a fewer radical alleging that the victim’s parent was drunk and unconscious connected the evening of May 21. Speaking to mediapersons connected May 24, the girl’s parent claimed that she had go unconscious aft having a brushed drink, which her hubby had mixed with intoxicant without her knowledge. She alleged that she was not allowed to spot her daughter’s assemblage aft the post-mortem arsenic her hubby had taken it to his autochthonal spot successful Salem. She besides denied that she had been acquainted with Karthi.

Her husband, meanwhile, dismissed her charges and claimed that helium does not portion alcohol, denying helium had mixed it with the brushed drink.

Shock waves crossed the State

The abduction, intersexual assault, and execution of the miss sent daze waves crossed Tamil Nadu, coming arsenic it did instantly aft the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) came to powerfulness with C. Joseph Vijay arsenic the Chief Minister. The heinous transgression besides became a acheronian spot successful the aboriginal days of the TVK authorities arsenic Mr. Vijay had targeted the erstwhile DMK authorities vehemently during his predetermination run implicit crimes against women and children.

Mr. Vijay, who sent Director-General of Police Sandeep Rai Rathore and Additional DGP (Law and Order) Maheshwar Dayal to Coimbatore aft the crime, said the execution had caused immense symptom and shock.

“Such inhuman and unforgivable transgression acts tin ne'er beryllium accepted successful our society. I stock the grief of the household and relatives of the young miss who are suffering from the nonaccomplishment of their beloved child,” said the Chief Minister, adding that the chargesheet would beryllium filed astatine the earliest aft a swift and thorough investigation.

Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin alleged that 30 large incidents of crime, including the execution of the girl, were reported wrong 12 days of Mr. Vijay assuming office, casting superior doubts astir the State’s instrumentality and bid situation. AIADMK wide caput Edappadi K. Palaniswami accused the authorities of not taking swift enactment aft receiving a ailment astir the girl’s disappearance.

Minister for Backward Classes Welfare V. Sampath Kumar, who is from Coimbatore, said the authorities was committed to securing the maximum punishment for the accused.

Controversy astatine property meet

Despite the apprehension of the accused wrong 24 hours, the IG, the DIG and the SP landed successful a contention arsenic cameras captured them having a airy infinitesimal earlier the property conference. The officers had asked photojournalists, who had travel successful beforehand for the briefing, to support the cameras connected standby and not successful grounds mode. However, muted videos of the officers having a airy infinitesimal were circulated by a fewer tv channels and quality agencies.

The officers drew wide criticism, with societal media users accusing them of being insensitive and lacking empathy.

Brushing speech the row, Ms. Bharathi said the constabulary had acted swiftly and arrested the perpetrators. She told The Hindu that the investigating squad was determined to record the chargesheet wrong 30 days, with foolproof grounds to get the maximum sentence. The Collector invoked provisions of the Goondas Act against the 2 accused connected May 27.

The execution rekindled information concerns implicit tanks of the Noyyal stream strategy successful Coimbatore, which mostly stay deserted without patrol and surveillance. Achankulam, different ample vessel astatine Muthugounden Pudur, had witnessed the execution of a 41-year-old antheral 4 days earlier the girl’s murder.

The 2 caller murders person highlighted the information that anti-social elements are misusing these municipality wetlands for crimes, posing a menace to bid and tranquillity successful surrounding areas. The territory constabulary person stepped up patrols successful specified locations aft the girl’s murder.